A fairly long snowfall event, with individual intense snowfall bands that created pockets of snowfall rates of three to four inches per hour, occurred across southern and central Minnesota on February 26.
Snowfall began during the early morning across far western Minnesota where it quickly became heavy in portions of west central Minnesota near Alexandria, Morris and Glenwood where snowfall rates increased prior to 9 am. The town of Morris had already received six inches of snow approximately 6 hours after the initial winter storm warning was issued.
As the system moved eastward, dry easterly flow kept eastern Minnesota fairly dry until a very intense, mesoscale induced vorticity maximum caused a small area of high snowfall rates across southern Minnesota. Thunder was reported in this highly intense snowstorm that track across southern Minnesota from near St. James, northeast toward Faribault, Owatonna, Northfield and Red Wing.
In addition to the snowfall, areas along the Minnesota, Iowa border received some sleet and freezing rain. However, no icing problems were reported. As the first snowfall event started to decrease by the afternoon, the upper level system started to develop light snow across western Minnesota, which eventually moved across central and east central Minnesota before departing the region before midnight.
Locally 6 to 10 inches fell across central and southern Minnesota, as well as west central Wisconsin. The heaviest snow fell along the intense band of thundersnow where locally three to five inches fell in about two hours (Noon to 3 pm, or from St. James to Red Wing, Minnesota). The highest totals are as follows: 11 inches at Carlos in Douglas County, 9.6 inches west of Donnelly in Stevens County, and 9.0 inches in New Market in southern Scott County. A large area of five to seven inches fell across the Twin Cities metro area.

Event Narrative

Bands of heavy snow fell across Lac Qui Parle County before noon, with light snow continuing through the afternoon. Total snowfall amounts of five to seven inches occurred across the county before tapering off during the late afternoon.